August 21, 2020

By peterson_m  

Meet our New Staff:

Gina Wilde, Assistant Principal: Gina taught for many years at Moffitt Elementary and served as Springfield’s math coordinator for two years prior to coming over to 4J. She’s been the principal at Gilham Elementary for the last 7 years, and has recently completed her doctoral program at UO. Gina has two children (19 and 21), and just celebrated her 25th anniversary. She is really excited to learn about middle school and to be a part of the Madison team!

Cody Gulewhich, 6Math/8Science: Cody has been working in education for almost 20 years.  He started off doing outdoor education and recreation programs for organizations such as the Portland Audubon Society and Whole Earth Nature School.  Cody is entering his 11th year as a public school teacher.  He spent 9 years with the Bethel School District, 7 of those years were at Willamette High School teaching science.  Cody holds credentials in all middle school subjects and is looking forward to joining the Madison family and community. 

Maddy Simons, 7Health/Art: Maddy grew up in the Springfield area and moved to Eugene after finishing her masters program at Pacific University for teaching. After completing her program last December, she worked part-time at South Eugene High School as a health teacher for Freshmen. Maddy is looking forward to discovering the fun and excitement teaching middle school will bring this year!

 

 

Karina Healea, 8ELA: Karina is a Madison and North Eugene alumni. After completing the UOTeach program and earning her teaching license, she spent two years guest teaching all over 4J including a long term posting at South Eugene High School. After welcoming her first baby this spring, she is excited to be back with students as part of the Madison family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can’t believe there’s about one week before staff reports back. We hope you’re soaking up every moment of rest and relaxation you can. Below is all the current information we have. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to talk. We know there is so much we don’t know yet and that’s unsettling for a lot of people. We’re available for quick chats, venting, questions, and other types of support 🙂 

This Week’s Quote: What else can we say? We really don’t have this figured out. We’ve dedicated most of the week to working on a team developing the middle school schedule and the ultimate realization is there’s simply no one right answer to this. We’ve written and discarded too many options to count. Every decision we make creates 10 more problems and the bottom line is no one is going to be 100% happy with the schedule, the content, the situation, the screen time, the amount of work, the flexibility or lack thereof…it’s a no-win situation for parents, teachers, and administrators. As these decisions are finalized and shared, please know that some of your colleagues spent hours upon hours trying to make the best decision possible. We likely won’t agree with or be happy about everything that is about to happen, but we hope you’ll ask me if you have questions about the why, work collaboratively and creatively to solve problems, and remember that above all else this is temporary. Our top priority is connecting with our students and families.

Visiting School: There are now only two badge entry points for the building, which are the front office door, and the custodial entrance in the back. Your badge will not work in any other location. The intention is to require people to sign in in the office or at the back doors, to maintain contact tracing logs. 

  • No visitors – Buildings are closed to the public. Families can make appointments with Rechelle to register and even those meetings will be done outside. Non-school personnel, including your family members, are not allowed on-site.  
  • Physical Distancing – All staff will be expected to practice physical distancing (6′) from others in the workplace.
  • Face Coverings – Face coverings are required to be worn when moving about the building and if physical distancing cannot be maintained.
  • Hand washing – Staff will be expected to follow good hand hygiene (frequent washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer).
  • Stay Home If You’re Sick – You must not report to work if you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19. Additionally, staff are asked to report illness and symptoms to the building administrator so the district can follow up with appropriate notifications if someone tests positive or is presumptive positive. 

Sanitizing and Cleaning: Jim and Curtis are working to set up cleaning supplies in each wing. Please know you’ll be asked to sanitize your personal work spaces and shared spaces like the bathroom. When using the bathroom spray, please spray any surface you’ve touched and use paper towels to wipe it down. Jim and Curtis will do the deep cleaning of high contact points.

Student iPads: The district moved to a different management system which saves about $100,000 a year and hopefully offers a better system than Meraki. All iPads have been re-imaged and only include apps on the district’s approved apps list, which is linked here. If there is an app you routinely use that isn’t on this list, please fill out an App Approval form. All apps now have to be vetted by the tech department to ensure they meet requirements around information sharing and student information safety. 

Book Order: In case you missed the email, we’ve offered to order So You Want to Talk About Race for any staff member who would like to read it. EEA is hosting a book club for certified staff, but all staff members are invited to receive a book. Click here to add your name to the list!

Back to School Schedule: We don’t yet have the schedule for PD and planning for our two weeks of prep before students start. Please expect some tech trainings (with teacher choice, from what we’ve heard), curriculum trainings, and safety protocols. I’m working on building a list of links to webinars, trainings, videos, and resources that people will hopefully find useful for teaching and learning online. It’ll be added to this blog…hopefully soon. 


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